


Love Bites (And So Do I)

by SoulTek (SmolBeanDrabbles)



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Biting!, F/M, Mentions of Blood, a sort-of-poly relationship, alluded to sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:20:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29542968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolBeanDrabbles/pseuds/SoulTek
Summary: The arrival of a creature such as you to Thra attracts the attention of more than one Skeksis. The Emperor is quick to claim you as his, and will mark you as such. He can fulfill your every desire, but he does not own your heart. When you need love, to feel like someone in this strange land actually cares for you, you go to The Scientist.
Relationships: skekSo (Dark Crystal)/Reader, skekTek (Dark Crystal)/Reader, skekso/reader/skektek
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Love Bites (And So Do I)

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I'd add this one to the AO3 collection for this fandom!
> 
> Took me a year to get the writing consistency to finish it, but we got there! And here it is for you :)
> 
> Title from a song of the same name by Halestorm.

It wasn’t a good night unless you were bleeding. Unless you could wake up with marks.  
Jagged wounds from sporadically placed teeth, running from your shoulder down, in an arrow towards a sharper puncture mark. Your skin was so easily marred – such was the nature of your body. And the perforations ran on both your back and your front.  
  
Covering them was more of a problem. And sometimes that was because they were not meant to be covered – but to signal to others _whom_ you belonged to. Not that they did not already know that, but on sheer number of teeth alone it was obvious as to whose bite had left indents in your skin. He couldn’t risk them over your neck – if he caught you just wrong then he would no longer have you; and that presented problems.  
  
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t scratch those talons across your delicate skin, and on occasion dig them into your neck; feeling your heartbeat as your blood pulsed through your veins. _Life._ Yours not eternal like his. But a life that could be his to give or take.

Whilst he may well have had your fear, your respect, and every desire and carnal thought you’d ever had… he did not have your love.  
That, and your heart, belonged solely to another. And the Emperor only let you have _that_ relationship because it kept you happy, and if your heart was happy… you’d come back to him at night for what you really needed. He just had to keep his court in check – though he would think the Skeksis to whom you gave your love would not dare step one toe out of line.

It was a strange union – in that nothing would ever come of it. Foolish to think that anything would. You were not of Thra. And he was not of Thra either – but you were still not of the same world. He’d given up on that notion some time ago; but at least he knew that you would have a union with no other either… And yet it _was_ something.  
And he had to keep you. You were as tall as the Lords of the Crystal, smart and sarcastic – holding your own against any one of them if it was called for. And agile, quick on your feet – if he called for you no matter where you were, you could be at his side in minutes. A fraction of the time he knew it would take any of his court. Almost as quick as Skekmal, in fact.

As the morning light broke through the windows to the Castle you studied the lesions in the mirror. There was honour in being marked in such a way by the Emperor, and the sheer ecstasy it brought you under the cover of midnight… But running your fingertips over those indents the morning after, when your head was clear and there was no lust running through your veins, brought you a different kind of clarity.  
You would have to return to the one you loved most looking like this. And he would notice. Eventually. You may be able to hide them – but the Emperor would not allow you to cover them in his presence…  
  
Your eyes swept the room with a sigh; he had already left for court duties. Allowing you and your body the respite of sleep. You pulled your dress on and slipped quietly back to your own room, it wasn’t much, but it was still somewhere of your own. You couldn’t stay there too long, however, doing nothing more than changing your clothes before you made your way to where you really wanted to be…

It was cooler in this part of the castle, making your way down to the lab, sticking close to the shadows and walls. You were about as wary of the Gelfling guard as you were any other Skeksis; and you certainly didn’t want to run into any of them so far from the Emperor’s side.  
You knew the temperature would change a little as you reached the Scientist’s workspace; here you were closer to the centre of Thra and the molten rock that flowed sluggishly through the heart of the planet.

You padded softly through the castle, and paused at the door with a smile to watch, as you reached your destination. He was already tinkering away, muttering to himself as he did so. You rested your head against the door frame, smile growing. As you listened a while you realised that Skektek wasn’t just muttering to himself, but he was grumbling. You wondered which of the others had set him off today – not that he ever needed _much_ of a reason – and couldn’t contain your laugh well enough, as a small chuckle slipped out. This immediately alerted Sidetic to your presence, and the little green fluffball - whom Skektek called ‘friend’ - chirped happily at you from his cage.  
  


The Scientist turned from his work with a _huh,_ and his amber eye focused on you.  
“Oh-!” He placed his tools down and fussed with his clothing for a moment as he stepped back from his work bench, “Top Gear.” You weren’t sure exactly where this cute nickname Skektek had fashioned for you had come from, but it made you immediately beam.  
“I wondered if I might be able to help you today?”  
There was only a moments hesitation, “Surely the Emperor would prefer you to accompany him?”  
It stung a little, that hurt in his voice, even when he knew it had to be this way. “Not that he requested.”  
“So you have not cleared this with him?” Skektek took a step back towards his workbench.  
“I haven’t, but what I do with my own time is not of concern to him.” You voice was firm in it's conviction.  
“No, but you and I…” He trailed off wistfully and fumbled with his tools for a moment. “Perhaps you should confirm that you will not be required in court today.”  
“He would keep me there out of spite for me wanting to be here!” You crossed the room, begging him not to ask you to go. You needed Skektek now, you needed to feel _loved_ \- as if someone cared for your more fragile emotions, needs and desires.

Pushing yourself between him and his work, your eyes were determined, “If the Emperor wants me, he can come find me himself-!”  
“I-!”  
You cut the Scientist off before he could protest, “I’m staying. Relegate me to a corner if you must, but I would rather be useful.”  
There was a silence between you that you tried not to see as uncomfortable as his eyes searched yours, your head tilted, frown absentminded; you always worried about his mechanical one. Something you weren’t sure you could forgive the rest of his species for. You were a fairly good engineer, that much was true, but you also knew you had nothing on him – and everything here on Thra put you a little out of your depth.  
“Please…” Begging wasn’t beneath you, and your voice wavered the perfect amount, “don’t make me go.”  
Skektek was almost reluctant to say it, and he looked away from you again; “You can stay.”  
  


Although relieved, you didn’t move from your position between him and the bench, and all of a sudden your emotions overwhelmed you, finding your eyes flooding with tears that you tried to keep from spilling. Startled by your first sob, Skektek recoiled, before - bringing his clawed hands up to nestle on your cheeks - giving his best attempt at wiping those tears away.  
“Now, now, there’s no need for that.”  
You gulped them back, hands upon his, not quite lacing your fingers together, “S-Sorry. I just…”  
You didn’t need to finish the sentence for him to know, and he lifted you up onto the counter top. Your clothing fell just a little more suggestively than you had meant, but you weren’t about to readjust anything at the significance of this pause.

You noticed the way his eyes lingered on your now exposed thighs, and wondered if perhaps you could make something of that. That you could be loved on now… that you could wash away the way last night was currently making you feel, now you were in this moment with him.  
You pulled Skektek into your body gently, planting a series of sweet, chaste kisses over his snout. The Scientist's movements were instinctive, even when his hands trembled the way they always did, and he began to inch your dress down your body. You couldn’t help the spike in your heartbeat, that tender flutter of anticipation you felt. Every. Single. Time.  
  
He paused; hesitation apparent by the fading marks on your shoulder, across your chest and thighs. You would wait days between one and the other, just to hope that they would fade quicker. But they never did.  
“Please…” You pulled Skektek’s eyes back to yours, fingertips delicately ran his beak, “…I need you…”  
“But- I-”  
Try as you might you could not keep him from tracing his Emperor’s markings. And you swallowed hard.  
“Bite me.”  
“…What!?” The Scientist nearly recoiled at that. Why would you ask such a thing of him? Your love was delicate, you came to him to recover, to revel in being _loved,_ for once. Not to be broken as you were upstairs. If you awoke with him - and it was always _with_ him - he would curl himself around your body protectively, tail always wound around your legs. And when he slept with you in his arms tangled in his sheets, he emitted a sound not unlike a purr. And in this strange land, that was where you felt safest. That was where you felt like home.  
_“Please.”_ You took his talons back in your hands, “Mark me. **As yours**.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! ❤❤


End file.
